1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to an acoustic guitar, and in particular relates to an acoustic guitar having a reverberating bridge assembly for reverberating the sounds produced by the strings of the guitar.
2. Description of the Related Art
Guitars are played by tens of millions of individuals worldwide. A great many different types of guitars have been devised to suit the varied preferences of these different individuals. Electric guitars are typically provided with accessories for enabling a player to electronically adjust various parameters of the sound produced by the strings of the guitars, including accessories for enabling a player to “reverberate” the sounds produced by the strings of the guitar. Reverberation is an effect caused by the re-echoing of sound waves, generally caused by a reflection of the sound waves upon different surfaces.
However, acoustic guitars, which do not rely on electrical amplification, are more limited in their abilities to produce sounds other than that which emits from a normally vibrating nylon or steel string of the guitar, and in particular, are not capable of reverberating the sounds produced by the strings of the guitar. Accordingly, there is a need for an acoustic guitar having a reverberating bridge assembly for re-echoing and reverberating the sounds produced by the strings of the guitar, in order to increase the range of sound effects that the guitar is capable of producing.
A variety of apparatuses have been devised for altering the sounds produced by a guitar. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,715 to Nourney appears to show a strain gauge for use as an electrical pickup for a string instrument. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,031,165 to Brekke appears to show an adjustable bridge that is used to raise or lower all of the strings on a stringed instrument. Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,427 to Johnsen appears to show a bridge for a stringed instrument, having a base member and an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the vertical height of the strings relative to the belly of the stringed instrument. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 6,420,639 to Sherlock appears to show a vibrato apparatus for a stringed instrument for creating a vibrato sound which results from rapid raising or lowering of pitch during vibration of the strings. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,690 to Soupios appears to show a string-vibration enhancer for instruments of the guitar family, for producing a sound which is similar to that produced by a fretless bass or a sitar. What's more, U.S. Pat. No. 6,613,968 to Deveraux et al appears to show a guitar bridge and tailpiece for use in facilitating the tuning procedure for a guitar.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.